The last few times I have done the Saturday Hitting Coach, there have been significantly more afternoon than evening games. This week, the afternoon and late slates each have eight games, and I have to say I prefer this setup better.
Saturday’s early slate is especially interesting despite only having eight games. The Cubs could be extremely shorthanded if Ben Zobrist and Anthony Rizzo are both out, and whoever takes their spots near the top of the lineup could provide some extra DFS value.
I am also largely fading Coors in the early slate. While I expect a decent amount of scoring, there are only a few guys I am willing to pay up for, and I doubt I will fit more than one in any given lineup.
It is too bad the Coors game isn’t in the late slate because there are far fewer expensive options I like in that slate. You really have to pick your options, and I think I would try to plug in a couple of expensive bats first, and then fill in around them, even though that is not how I usually fill out my lineups.
| CATCHER | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Player | Team | POS | Bats | H/A | Opp | Probable Pitcher | Throws | AB | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | wOBA | ISO | BB% | K% | GB% | FB% | LD% | HR/FB | BABIP | FD | DK | Aces |
| Yan Gomes | CLE | C | R | A | DET | Anibal Sanchez | R | 196 | 0.18 | 0.221 | 0.35 | 0.573 | 0.248 | 0.17 | 3.80% | 25.00% | 39.20% | 40.60% | 20.30% | 12.10% | 0.209 | $2,600 | $3,000 | $4,100 |
| Willson Contreras | CHI | C | R | A | MIA | Paul Clemens | R | 17 | 0.41 | 0.474 | 0.94 | 1.415 | 0.66 | 0.53 | 5.30% | 21.10% | 50.00% | 37.50% | 12.50% | 100.00% | 0.4 | $2,700 | $3,000 | $3,800 |
| Kurt Suzuki | MIN | C | R | A | NYY | Michael Pineda | R | 158 | 0.27 | 0.312 | 0.42 | 0.73 | 0.311 | 0.15 | 4.10% | 17.00% | 41.30% | 33.30% | 25.40% | 9.50% | 0.307 | $2,400 | $2,800 | $3,750 |
| Nick Hundley | COL | C | R | H | ARI | Shelby Miller | R | 93 | 0.26 | 0.373 | 0.48 | 0.857 | 0.376 | 0.23 | 15.30% | 15.30% | 56.50% | 30.40% | 13.00% | 19.00% | 0.278 | $3,300 | $3,800 | $4,900 |
| Stephen Vogt | OAK | C | L | A | LAA | Jhoulys Chacin | R | 220 | 0.27 | 0.314 | 0.43 | 0.746 | 0.313 | 0.16 | 4.70% | 16.50% | 32.90% | 44.50% | 22.50% | 7.80% | 0.305 | $3,300 | $3,500 | $4,200 |
| Carlos Ruiz | PHI | C | R | A | SF | Madison Bumgarner | L | 102 | 0.22 | 0.31 | 0.33 | 0.643 | 0.287 | 0.12 | 12.10% | 15.50% | 41.30% | 36.30% | 22.50% | 10.30% | 0.235 | $2,000 | $2,700 | $3,750 |
| Buster Posey | SF | C | R | H | PHI | Jeremy Hellickson | R | 243 | 0.28 | 0.341 | 0.45 | 0.794 | 0.34 | 0.17 | 8.50% | 12.20% | 47.80% | 27.80% | 24.40% | 14.00% | 0.293 | $3,700 | $4,500 | $4,800 |
EARLY
Yan Gomes is 7-for-14 with two home runs and eight RBI against Anibal Sanchez, and he is 6-for-16 over his current four-game hitting streak. He is expected back in the lineup after he had a cyst drained Friday.
He will probably be a popular play, and I would rather play Yan Gomes, but Willson Contreras is 7-for-17 with three home runs and eight RBI since he was called up last week, and he remains a strong DFS play until his price goes up or his bat cools off.
Kurt Suzuki stayed red-hot Friday and is now 9-for-17 with two home runs over his five-game hitting streak. He is 4-for-7 with three RBI against Michael Pineda.
If you can afford him, Nick Hundley checks all the boxes. He has an .832 OPS at Coors Field, he is 4-for-9 with a home run against Shelby Miller and he is has a five-game hitting streak.
LATE
Stephen Vogt is usually my fallback option when I don’t like any other catchers, and while that is kind of the case Saturday, I actually really like him against Jhoulys Chacin. Vogt is 7-for-20 with a home run over the last week.
Carlos Ruiz is 6-for-17 with a home run against Madison Bumgarner, and his price is low enough to make him worth a shot if he starts.
Buster Posey is nearly always a DFS option, but he is even more attractive because there are so few guys worth spending big on in the late slate. Posey is 8-for-25 over the last week.
| FIRST BASE | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Player | Team | POS | Bats | H/A | Opp | Probable Pitcher | Throws | AB | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | wOBA | ISO | BB% | K% | GB% | FB% | LD% | HR/FB | BABIP | FD | DK | Aces |
| Anthony Rizzo | CHI | 1B | L | A | MIA | Paul Clemens | R | 242 | 0.28 | 0.402 | 0.56 | 0.96 | 0.407 | 0.28 | 13.90% | 13.20% | 38.30% | 41.30% | 20.40% | 21.00% | 0.266 | $4,100 | $5,300 | $5,600 |
| Jose Abreu | CWS | 1B | R | H | TOR | R.A. Dickey | R | 285 | 0.27 | 0.326 | 0.45 | 0.772 | 0.322 | 0.18 | 6.60% | 19.10% | 49.30% | 32.30% | 18.40% | 15.30% | 0.297 | $3,800 | $4,700 | $5,200 |
| Justin Bour | MIA | 1B | L | H | CHI | John Lackey | R | 194 | 0.27 | 0.339 | 0.52 | 0.854 | 0.356 | 0.25 | 10.10% | 19.70% | 46.60% | 31.10% | 22.30% | 28.30% | 0.279 | $3,200 | $3,300 | $4,300 |
| James Loney | NYM | 1B | L | A | ATL | Julio Teheran | R | 82 | 0.31 | 0.367 | 0.46 | 0.83 | 0.325 | 0.16 | 7.70% | 13.20% | 49.20% | 28.60% | 22.20% | 11.10% | 0.338 | $2,500 | $2,500 | $3,800 |
| Max Muncy | OAK | 1B | L | A | LAA | Jhoulys Chacin | R | 31 | 0.26 | 0.378 | 0.32 | 0.701 | 0.328 | 0.07 | 16.20% | 5.40% | 40.90% | 40.90% | 18.20% | 0.00% | 0.276 | $2,000 | $2,000 | $3,400 |
| Brandon Belt | SF | 1B | L | H | PHI | Jeremy Hellickson | R | 246 | 0.31 | 0.41 | 0.54 | 0.947 | 0.402 | 0.23 | 14.90% | 17.30% | 29.40% | 42.80% | 27.80% | 12.50% | 0.346 | $3,900 | $4,600 | $4,900 |
EARLY
Anthony Rizzo is 8-for-14 with two home runs over his five-game hitting streak, and if he is back in the lineup Saturday, he should probably be in your lineup against Marlins’ righty Paul Clemens.
Jose Abreu got a day off Friday to rest, and I suspect he will come back strong Saturday. Abreu is 9-for-26 over the last week and 5-for-12 with three home runs against R.A. Dickey.
Justin Bour is a fine play, and will save you quite a bit compared to the top first basemen. Bour is 6-for-13 with three home runs over the last week.
LATE
James Loney is the late-slate version of Justin Bour. Lone is 9-for-20 over the last week, and he should provide nice value, if not elite production.
I guess Max Muncy is the super-cheap version of Justin Bour. Muncy has a four-game hitting streak, and he is certainly worth a shot against Jhoulys Chacin.
If you don’t want to go cheap at first base, Brandon Belt is a solid play. He is 8-for-27 over the last seven days and 2-for-3 against Jeremy Hellickson.
| SECOND BASE | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Player | Team | POS | Bats | H/A | Opp | Probable Pitcher | Throws | AB | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | wOBA | ISO | BB% | K% | GB% | FB% | LD% | HR/FB | BABIP | FD | DK | Aces |
| Brian Dozier | MIN | 2B | R | A | NYY | Michael Pineda | R | 258 | 0.25 | 0.334 | 0.42 | 0.749 | 0.326 | 0.17 | 9.50% | 16.30% | 36.10% | 45.50% | 18.30% | 8.70% | 0.276 | $3,400 | $4,200 | $4,600 |
| Jonathan Schoop | BAL | 2B | R | H | TB | Jake Odorizzi | R | 264 | 0.28 | 0.315 | 0.49 | 0.804 | 0.347 | 0.21 | 3.90% | 21.50% | 47.70% | 33.20% | 19.10% | 18.20% | 0.325 | $3,600 | $4,900 | $4,500 |
| Devon Travis | TOR | 2B | R | A | CWS | Miguel Gonzalez | R | 94 | 0.26 | 0.283 | 0.43 | 0.709 | 0.299 | 0.17 | 4.00% | 17.20% | 50.00% | 31.10% | 18.90% | 13.00% | 0.28 | $3,200 | $4,100 | $4,450 |
| DJ LeMahieu | COL | 2B | R | H | ARI | Shelby Miller | R | 252 | 0.33 | 0.389 | 0.49 | 0.877 | 0.373 | 0.16 | 9.00% | 11.80% | 54.40% | 19.10% | 26.50% | 9.80% | 0.359 | $3,800 | $5,100 | $5,350 |
| Johnny Giavotella | LAA | 2B | R | H | OAK | Dillon Overton | L | 233 | 0.28 | 0.298 | 0.42 | 0.714 | 0.3 | 0.14 | 2.90% | 11.00% | 47.80% | 24.10% | 28.10% | 12.20% | 0.292 | $3,000 | $4,400 | $3,500 |
| Robinson Cano | SEA | 2B | L | H | STL | Mike Leake | R | 305 | 0.3 | 0.351 | 0.55 | 0.899 | 0.388 | 0.25 | 6.90% | 14.70% | 45.20% | 33.50% | 21.40% | 22.90% | 0.298 | $3,900 | $4,500 | $5,400 |
EARLY
Brian Dozier is 11-for-25 over the last week, and his price is pretty reasonable across the board.
DJ LeMahieu’s price isn’t bad either for a guy who is 6-for-13 in his career against Shelby Miller. Out of all of the expensive Coors options Saturday, LeMahieu is the one I am most likely to pay for.
Devon Travis is just as hot as Brian Dozier, and he has an even better matchup. Travis is 8-for-19 over the last week, and I have little doubt he can take advantage of Miguel Gonzalez.
LATE
Jonathan Schoop just missed the cut for the early slate, but he is 12-for-25 over the last week, and his price is very nice on FantasyAces.
Johnny Giavotella led off Friday with Yunel Escobar out of the lineup, and Giavotella would be a near must-play, especially on FantasyAces, if he leads off again Saturday. Giavotella is 9-for-28 with two home runs over the last week.
Robinson Cano has a 1.041 OPS against right-handed pitchers this season, and he is 2-for-3 against Mike Leake.
| THIRD BASE | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Player | Team | POS | Bats | H/A | Opp | Probable Pitcher | Throws | AB | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | wOBA | ISO | BB% | K% | GB% | FB% | LD% | HR/FB | BABIP | FD | DK | Aces |
| Manny Machado | BAL | 3B | R | H | TB | Jake Odorizzi | R | 275 | 0.32 | 0.382 | 0.62 | 0.997 | 0.413 | 0.3 | 8.60% | 17.80% | 35.70% | 39.40% | 24.90% | 21.40% | 0.343 | $3,900 | $5,200 | $5,450 |
| Nolan Arenado | COL | 3B | R | H | ARI | Shelby Miller | R | 278 | 0.3 | 0.379 | 0.59 | 0.973 | 0.404 | 0.3 | 11.00% | 11.40% | 38.60% | 41.50% | 19.90% | 21.40% | 0.278 | $4,500 | $5,500 | $6,100 |
| Yangervis Solarte | SD | 3B | B | A | CIN | Brandon Finnegan | L | 119 | 0.27 | 0.356 | 0.44 | 0.793 | 0.34 | 0.17 | 10.40% | 14.80% | 44.90% | 36.00% | 19.10% | 12.50% | 0.295 | $2,700 | $3,400 | $4,250 |
| Yunel Escobar | LAA | 3B | R | H | OAK | Dillon Overton | L | 274 | 0.31 | 0.359 | 0.41 | 0.768 | 0.338 | 0.1 | 6.70% | 12.00% | 58.10% | 19.50% | 22.50% | 6.50% | 0.346 | $3,000 | $3,900 | $4,500 |
| Matt Carpenter | STL | 3B | L | A | SEA | Nate Karns | R | 243 | 0.3 | 0.418 | 0.56 | 0.974 | 0.414 | 0.26 | 16.30% | 17.30% | 33.90% | 38.50% | 27.60% | 14.90% | 0.335 | $4,100 | $5,100 | $5,100 |
EARLY
Nolan Arenado is 11-for-27 over the last week, and he has a career .366 wOBA at home against righties. He is really expensive, but there is a good reason for that.
Manny Machado is less expensive, but he has been just as good this season. Machado is 10-for-17 over his last four games, and his price is pretty reasonable on FanDuel and FantasyAces.
If you can’t afford Arenado or Machado, which will probably be most people, Yangervis Solarte could provide some nice value. Solarte is 8-for-21 over the last week, and he is a career .281 hitter against lefties.
LATE
I probably prefer Manny Machado slightly better for the early game, but he is certainly playable for the late game as well.
I never thought I would write this, but I actually really hope Yunel Escobar plays Saturday. He has a .941 OPS against lefties this season, and his price isn’t bad for someone who may lead off against Dillon Overton.
Matt Carpenter has a hit in nine of his last 10 games, and he is batting .394 over the last two weeks.
| SHORTSTOP | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Player | Team | POS | Bats | H/A | Opp | Probable Pitcher | Throws | AB | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | wOBA | ISO | BB% | K% | GB% | FB% | LD% | HR/FB | BABIP | FD | DK | Aces |
| Addison Russell | CHI | SS | R | A | MIA | Paul Clemens | R | 234 | 0.24 | 0.333 | 0.38 | 0.713 | 0.311 | 0.14 | 11.20% | 27.00% | 49.00% | 29.00% | 21.90% | 13.30% | 0.325 | $2,700 | $4,100 | $4,600 |
| Eduardo Escobar | MIN | SS | B | A | NYY | Michael Pineda | R | 164 | 0.28 | 0.308 | 0.38 | 0.692 | 0.303 | 0.1 | 4.00% | 20.20% | 37.80% | 36.10% | 26.10% | 4.70% | 0.344 | $3,000 | $3,200 | $3,900 |
| Jean Segura | ARI | SS | R | A | COL | Jorge De La Rosa | L | 300 | 0.31 | 0.347 | 0.44 | 0.784 | 0.34 | 0.13 | 4.40% | 13.70% | 57.00% | 25.20% | 17.80% | 8.20% | 0.345 | $3,800 | $5,000 | $5,350 |
| Alcides Escobar | KC | SS | R | H | HOU | Mike Fiers | R | 309 | 0.25 | 0.276 | 0.31 | 0.587 | 0.253 | 0.06 | 3.00% | 14.30% | 56.60% | 26.70% | 16.70% | 1.40% | 0.293 | $2,800 | $2,900 | $4,000 |
| Brandon Crawford | SF | SS | L | H | PHI | Jeremy Hellickson | R | 251 | 0.26 | 0.339 | 0.41 | 0.745 | 0.319 | 0.14 | 10.10% | 19.20% | 42.60% | 37.40% | 20.00% | 8.20% | 0.309 | $3,000 | $3,700 | $4,550 |
| Marcus Semien | OAK | SS | R | A | LAA | Jhoulys Chacin | R | 246 | 0.24 | 0.31 | 0.44 | 0.753 | 0.317 | 0.2 | 8.90% | 22.10% | 43.50% | 39.50% | 16.90% | 18.60% | 0.27 | $3,000 | $3,400 | $4,650 |
EARLY
Addison Russell is 7-for-14 over his four-game hitting streak, and he would be an especially strong play if he moves up in the batting order Saturday with Ben Zobrist out.
Just in case you needed an excuse to play Jean Segura at Coors Field against a lefty, he is 9-for-27 with seven runs and five stolen bases over the last week.
Eduardo Escobar is 8-for-21 over the last week, and he is nicely priced on DraftKings and FantasyAces.
LATE
Alcides Escobar is 9-for-22 over the last week, and he is pretty cheap considering he will likely bat second against Mike Fiers.
Marcus Semien is 7-for-15 with six RBI over his last four games, and he provides a bit more upside than Alcides Escobar.
Brandon Crawford is 4-for-7 against Jeremy Hellickson and 5-for-16 over his last five games.
| OUTFIELD | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Player | Team | POS | Bats | H/A | Opp | Probable Pitcher | Throws | AB | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | wOBA | ISO | BB% | K% | GB% | FB% | LD% | HR/FB | BABIP | FD | DK | Aces |
| Carlos Beltran | NYY | RF | B | H | MIN | Ervin Santana | R | 251 | 0.29 | 0.326 | 0.57 | 0.9 | 0.378 | 0.29 | 5.20% | 19.60% | 41.40% | 36.40% | 22.20% | 26.40% | 0.291 | $3,800 | $5,100 | $5,100 |
| Melky Cabrera | CWS | LF | B | H | TOR | R.A. Dickey | R | 267 | 0.3 | 0.348 | 0.47 | 0.82 | 0.342 | 0.18 | 7.80% | 10.80% | 48.20% | 28.30% | 23.50% | 12.50% | 0.309 | $2,800 | $3,700 | $4,600 |
| Brandon Barnes | COL | LF | R | H | ARI | Shelby Miller | R | 46 | 0.17 | 0.224 | 0.26 | 0.485 | 0.222 | 0.09 | 3.80% | 26.90% | 59.40% | 31.30% | 9.40% | 0.00% | 0.25 | $2,600 | $2,300 | $4,200 |
| Charlie Blackmon | COL | CF | L | H | ARI | Shelby Miller | R | 238 | 0.3 | 0.362 | 0.5 | 0.858 | 0.369 | 0.2 | 8.60% | 14.20% | 38.90% | 36.80% | 24.20% | 14.30% | 0.318 | $4,400 | $5,600 | $5,650 |
| Lonnie Chisenhall | CLE | RF | L | A | DET | Anibal Sanchez | R | 154 | 0.28 | 0.345 | 0.42 | 0.761 | 0.329 | 0.14 | 8.70% | 15.70% | 43.40% | 35.20% | 21.30% | 4.70% | 0.325 | $3,300 | $3,000 | $3,700 |
| Matt Kemp | SD | RF | R | A | CIN | Brandon Finnegan | L | 301 | 0.27 | 0.282 | 0.48 | 0.764 | 0.321 | 0.22 | 2.90% | 23.50% | 42.50% | 35.70% | 21.70% | 20.30% | 0.295 | $3,800 | $4,900 | $4,750 |
| Melvin Upton | SD | CF | R | A | CIN | Brandon Finnegan | L | 270 | 0.26 | 0.313 | 0.43 | 0.743 | 0.307 | 0.17 | 6.80% | 25.30% | 48.90% | 31.70% | 19.40% | 18.60% | 0.321 | $3,300 | $4,400 | $4,350 |
| Ryan Braun | MIL | LF | R | H | WSH | Gio Gonzalez | L | 231 | 0.32 | 0.378 | 0.54 | 0.915 | 0.389 | 0.22 | 8.30% | 16.50% | 55.60% | 24.30% | 20.10% | 26.10% | 0.348 | $4,100 | $5,200 | $5,300 |
| Colby Rasmus | HOU | LF | L | A | KC | Chris Young | R | 241 | 0.25 | 0.327 | 0.41 | 0.738 | 0.313 | 0.17 | 11.20% | 28.60% | 41.00% | 38.50% | 20.50% | 16.10% | 0.316 | $3,400 | $3,900 | $4,750 |
| Yasiel Puig | LA | RF | R | A | PIT | Jeff Locke | L | 197 | 0.25 | 0.292 | 0.38 | 0.673 | 0.287 | 0.13 | 4.30% | 21.50% | 44.50% | 38.40% | 17.10% | 10.70% | 0.295 | $2,500 | $4,600 | $4,650 |
| Mookie Betts | BOS | CF | R | A | TEX | A.J. Griffin | R | 322 | 0.29 | 0.334 | 0.52 | 0.853 | 0.362 | 0.23 | 6.10% | 14.10% | 46.80% | 33.60% | 19.60% | 18.00% | 0.3 | $4,200 | $5,000 | $5,400 |
| Mike Trout | LAA | CF | R | H | OAK | 271 | 0.3 | 0.405 | 0.53 | 0.933 | 0.395 | 0.23 | 14.60% | 18.40% | 42.90% | 31.50% | 25.60% | 21.90% | 0.34 | $4,400 | $5,500 | $5,450 | ||
| Joc Pederson | LA | CF | L | A | PIT | Jeff Locke | L | 222 | 0.24 | 0.323 | 0.49 | 0.809 | 0.348 | 0.25 | 10.80% | 26.30% | 43.00% | 37.10% | 19.90% | 23.20% | 0.278 | $3,200 | $4,700 | $4,350 |
| Seth Smith | SEA | LF | L | H | STL | Mike Leake | R | 185 | 0.27 | 0.368 | 0.4 | 0.768 | 0.344 | 0.14 | 12.30% | 17.30% | 51.40% | 27.10% | 21.50% | 15.40% | 0.299 | $3,000 | $3,400 | $4,400 |
EARLY
Melky Cabrera is 8-for-14 with two home runs over his last three games, and he is 6-for-21 with two home runs against R.A. Dickey.
Brandon Barnes is 4-for-10 in his career against Shelby Miller, and he is your best bet for cheap exposure to Coors Field.
Lonnie Chisenhall is 5-for-12 over his last three games and 6-for-20 against Anibal Sanchez. He is an especially nice value on DraftKings and FantasyAces.
Ryan Braun has a 1.093 OPS against left-handed pitchers, and he is 7-for-18 over the last week.
If you either don’t like Ryan Braun, or want another expensive outfield option, Charlie Blackmon is 10-for-32 with three home runs over the past week, and he has a .902 OPS at home this season.
Matt Kemp has a 1.103 OPS against lefties this season, and while Melvin Upton Jr.’s .815 OPS against lefties pales in comparison, Upton Jr. is cheaper and both players are hot at the plate. Kemp is 9-for-26 over the last week, while Upton Jr. is 10-for-25.
I wish I could get more exposure to Ervin Santana, but the Yankees are hitting so poorly this season, there aren’t many opportunities. Carlos Beltran is 7-for-20 with two home runs over the last week, and he is your best bet if you want to play a Yankee Saturday.
LATE
Colby Rasmus is one of my favorite hitters for DFS because it is so easy to ride his hot streaks and ignore him when he struggles. Rasmus is 9-for-16 over his last four starts, and I expect big things against Chris Young.
Yasiel Puig is 5-for-11 in three games since returning from the disabled list, and right-handed batters have a .371 wOBA against Jeff Locke this season. Joc Pederson is a strong play against Locke as well, as Pederson is 7-for-21 with two home runs over the last week.
Mookie Betts has three consecutive two-hit games, including a home run and a stolen base Friday. Betts has a .893 OPS against right-handed pitchers this season.
I prefer Betts to Mike Trout, but I could easily see playing both guys in Saturday’s late slate. Trout is 9-for-28 over the last week, and should have little trouble against Dillon Overton.
I might have recommended him anyway because he is facing a weak righty, but Seth Smith is 5-for-8 with a home run against Mike Leake.